It's a matter of managing bad luck really....hard for Chaleco to catch up from 8:15 behind on pure riding but....any number of little mishaps could easily eat that up.

But it will likely still be all KTM's up top. I was sure hoping for a Yamaha, Husky, Sherco, OK, OK, even a Honda, to change up the podium.
Not diss'n KTM, top riders who are amazing to watch when they are really moving!

Afterwards, I saw that I'd got some time back on Chaleco and that he wasn't going to disappear into the distance over 140 km.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 8340SU

Chaleco

But I think I always go to Santiago in a very happy mood. Imagine being capable of winning in my country, that's motivation for the finish. All the people here, it's great. If it's not possible to get on top of the podium, I'm already very happy as it stands.

dakar com

I'd love Chaleco to win outright now that he's got so close but is there anyone on this planet who could take the 8:15 from CDP barring a mechanical? Just 1 turn-around or a crash and Chaleco could easily loose 2nd, or the podium. I wonder how he'll play it tomorrow?

But it will likely still be all KTM's up top. I was sure hoping for a Yamaha, Husky, Sherco, OK, OK, even a Honda, to change up the podium.
Not diss'n KTM, top riders who are amazing to watch when they are really moving!

I'd love Chaleco to win outright now that he's got so close but is there anyone on this planet who could take the 8:15 from CDP barring a mechanical? Just 1 turn-around or a crash and Chaleco could easily loose 2nd, or the podium. I wonder how he'll play it tomorrow?

Paulo Goncalves third and Joan Barreda fifth in the penultimate Dakar stage.

Local hero Chilean Chaleco Lopez won today’s stage of the Dakar, and in doing so equals Joan "Bang Bang" Barreda in the number of stage victories. Portuguese rider Paulo Goncalves was the best of the Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain crossing the La Serena finish-line in third, just five seconds behind second place Despres who looks set to win his fifth Dakar tomorrow. The result takes Paulo up into tenth overall place.

Joan Barreda similarly put in a fine performance, setting off from third position. The rider took command of the main group, dominating the entire stage in first place as well as doing an excellent error-free navigation job for the whole 400 km of the special. He marked up the fifth best time in today’s section against the clock.

Matt Fish crossed the finish-line in seventeenth place. Alessandro Botturi had a second really unlucky day. Yesterday, a penalty and navigation errors caused him to lose an hour and half, today it was a technical problem and he was unable to finish the stage.

Tomorrow sees the final stretch for all the participants with a 626 km stage (391 miles) that runs from La Serena to Santiago, including a special test of 346 km.

Paulo Goncalves: “Today was a great race for me. I wanted to really push it more today, as I really wanted a win in this Dakar, but towards the end it started getting really dangerous and there were rocks everywhere, so I decided to take it easier. I’m happy with the way the team and I have worked. Now there’s just the final stage to go, and I hope to keep my tenth overall place or maybe even improve on it. ”

Joan Barreda: “I had a ball navigating today. I was out there on my own practically the whole way once I’d got past Faria and Verhoeven a few kilometres into the race. I’m really happy.”

Alessandro Botturi: “Two days to forget about. 130 km into the special test the motor packed up on me. I was really disappointed because it’s really important to make it to the end in a race like this one, even if it wouldn’t make a difference in the overall standings. Still, I’ve made a big step forward compared to last year’s edition, and I have been up there battling amongst the leaders. We’ll have to see what happens next year.”
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Result Stage 13:
1. Lopez (CHL, KTM) 3h44m54s
2. Despres (FRA, KTM) +00:05:25
3. Paulo Goncalves (PRT, Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) +00:05:29
4. Pedrero (ESP, KTM) +00:07:42
5. Joan Barreda (ESP, Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) +00:08:24
17. Matt Fish (AUS, Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) +00:20:00

Cut´tle (k?t´t'l) 1.(Zool) A cephalopod of the genus Sepia, having an internal shell, large eyes, and ten arms furnished with denticulated suckers, by means of which it secures its prey. 2. A foul-mouthed fellow